The first and only time the West Virginia women’s basketball team made the Big East Conference Championship game was in 2006 when the Mountaineers lost to Connecticut, 50-44.
Four years later, the Mountaineers will get their chance at revenge.
WVU’s win over Rutgers Monday propelled the Mountaineers to the second Big East Title game appearance in school history.
Tip-off for tonight’s game will begin at 7 and will be televised on ESPN.
No. 1 Connecticut advanced to the championship game with a women’s basketball record 71st consecutive win against Notre Dame Monday.
West Virginia fell to the Huskies 80-47 on Feb. 2 after trailing by just eight at halftime.
"They’re a great team, no doubt about it," said WVU
junior Liz Repella. "The first time we played them, we played them good for 25 minutes, and you can’t play good for 25 minutes against UConn and expect to win or even keep it close."
West Virginia head coach Mike Carey wants his team to come out and fight for the entire game, unlike it did in February.
"As long as our girls compete and play hard, then I’m going to be satisfied with that, win or lose," he said. "Let’s face it, nobody else has beat them, either."
West Virginia post players Asya Bussie and Natalie Burton will be challenged as UConn consists of two of the top post players in the country.
Tina Charles, who was named the Big East Player of the Year Friday afternoon, scored 31 points in UConn’s quarterfinal rout of Syracuse and put up 16 points and 17 rebounds Monday against the Irish.
The Mountaineers will also have its hands full with Maya Moore, who scored 15 points and had 14 rebounds in the first meeting.
Connecticut could be without starting point guard Caroline Doty, however, as she suffered a head injury in the final minutes of the Huskies win over the Irish.
"She may have a concussion. Obviously, if she has a concussion, she’s not playing tomorrow," said Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma. "But just by the looks of it, that might be the worst of it."
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